Shoe fastener



A. DAME.

SHOE FASTENER.

APPLICATION HLED JUNE 14. 1920.

1,405,974. Ema Feb. 7, 1922.

INVENTOR JAMES A DA ME TTORNEY v UNITED STATES J JAMES A. DAME, 0F KOKOMO, INDIANA.

SHOE FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 14, 1920. Serial No. 388,798.

To all whom it may con-0cm:

Be it known that I, JAMns A. DAME, a citizen of the United States, residin at Kokomo, in the county of Howard and tate ofIndiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Shoe Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shoe fasteners and the salient feature of the invention is the provision of a buckle like structure having slots therethrough for the reception of tongues on the shoe upper, these tongue-s being, in a manner woven through the slots in such manner that the tongues will be securely gripped and the flaps of the shoe upper held in closed position around the ankle of the wearer.

A further feature of the invention is in so constructing the buckle structure that the tongues will be held without employing the usual form of tongue on the buckle and the tongues on the shoe upper are employed for drawing the flaps of the shoe tightly around the ankle of the wearer after they. have been properly introduced through the slots in the buckle structure. I

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter more fully set forth and pointed out in the accompanying specification.

In the accompanying drawings which ar made a part of the application,

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the fastening means applied thereto and in operative position. v

Fig. 2 is anenlarged transverse sectional view through the shoe upper and fastener.

Fig. 3 is aplan view of the fastener removed from the shoe. Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 indicates a shoe of the ordinary construction, the shoe upper 2 being slit down the front, as is usual so that the foot may be introduced into the shoe, the slit portions forming closure flaps 3.

Instead of lacing the flaps together, as is customary with shoes of this class, tongues preferably of leather, are secured to the flaps 3 and cooperate with a fastener or buckle like structure 5, which extends longit'udinally of the slit in the upper and laps over the edges of the flaps when they. are drawn together.

The fastener 5 is provided with a central longitudinal slot 6 and elongated slots v7 and 8 on opposite sides of the central slot for the reception of the tongues 4, when the flaps of the shoe are to be secured in closed position. I

In securing the flaps of the upper together, the free edges of the tongues are passed outwardly through the central slot 6 and an outward lateral pull given to bothof the tongues to pull the edges of the flaps to closed position, when the free edges of the tongues are passed inwardly through their respective slots at the opposite sides of the central slot, the extreme free edges of the tongues passing between the fastener and the shoe upper, thus binding the tongues sufficiently to prevent them casually pulling out through the slots and consequently holding the flaps in closed position. In this manner the shoe upper may be drawn around the ankle as tightly as desired and may bequiekly released as it is but nec'essaryto remove the ends of the tongues from the side slotsto free the buckle structure.

Patented Feb. '7, 1922.

The bucklestructure may be made of any suitable material and as it is shaped to fit the contour of the shoe, it will lend apleasing effect to the shoe.

The invention claimed'is: The combination with a shoe upper having a-single tongue attached to each flap portion of said upper and extending thefull height thereof, of a fastener having'a central slot through which said tongues pass and additional slots at opposite sides of the central slot through which thefree edges of the individual tongues are'passed for frictionally holding the shoe upper in closed position, said fastener being tapered .from end to end and curved to conform to the curvature of the shoe upper.

In testimony whereof I hereto aflix my signature.

JAMES A. DAME. 

